As fighting escalates in the Wanni, the Vavuniya hospital, the closest major state hospital to the war zone, is beset by a dearth of surgeons and anaesthetists – with the medical staff there finding it difficult to cope with a large number of casualties, a Government Medical Officers Association (GMOA) official said.
GMOA convenor Dr. Upul Gunasekera said that daily a large number of wounded soldiers were being brought from Kilinochchi, Mullaitivu, Mannar, Vavuniya and even from some remote border areas of the Anuradhapura district but the hospital had only one surgeon and one anaesthetist to perform life-saving surgery.
He said the surgeon and the anaesthetist have to work round the clock on a rotational basis after two surgeons attached to an NGO left the hospital.
“A significant number of casualties are brought to the hospital after the battle for Kilinochchi began. The hospital, which has some 80 doctors, should be manned with the necessary staff to face any situation,” Dr. Gunasekera said.
He said the doctors attached to the hospital lacked basic facilities such as proper transport and lodging.
“More doctors will come forward to work in Vavuniya and Mannar hospitals if these basic facilities are provided by the Health Ministry,” he said.
Dr. Gunasekera said doctors in Vavuniya Hospital staged a protest last week and their demand that they be given fuel allowance was met promptly. He said almost all the doctors used their own vehicles to come to work. | 
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